Tubular heat exchanger for liquids



july 36, 1935. H. FELDMEIER 2,009,837

TUBULAR HEAT EXCHANGE IR FOR LIQUIDS Filed May 4, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l Jmvzm 22% ATJ'UZZl/FKI H. FELDMEIER 2,009,837

TUBULAR HEAT EXCHANGER FOR LIQUIDS Filed May 4, 19:54 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 JWFJVZWK A11 Wm juiiy 3%, 1935.

Patented July 30, 1935 UNITED STATE-S PATE NTYOFF TUBULAR HEAT EXCHANGER FOR, LIQUIDS Harvey Feldmeier, Little Falls, N. Y., assignor to Cherry-Burrell Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware 7 Application May 4, 1934, Serial No. 723,949

8' Claims. (Cl. 257183) Devices embodying the improvements are adapted for different purposes, suchas for milk to milk regeneration, in which the exchange of heat occurs between milk circulating through the tubes and milk flowing over the outer surfaces thereof, and for cooling or changing the temperature of milk flowing over the outer surfaces of the tubes by circulating water, brine, ammonia or other suitable medium through the tubes.

Heat exchangers of this sort, adapted for heating and cooling milk, commonly comprise a bank of horizontal tubes arranged one above another and connected at their ends by return connections or headers to join the tubes into a continuous coil or passage for the flow of a fluid medium,

and means for causing milk or other liquid to flow in thin films over the outer surfaces of the tubes. Ordinarily the tubes are provided with drip strips extending longitudinally along their bottoms .to properly direct the surface films from one tube onto the next tube below. In addition, the tubes are commonly'provided adjacent their opposite ends with drip rings for preventing the surface films from spreading lengthwise along the tubes beyond desired limits and from reaching the end supports for the tubes or the headers, and also to prevent possible contamination of the surface liquid being cooled or heated by contact with any cooling or heating medium which may leak through the joints of the coil.

A primary purpose of my invention is to'construct a heat exchanger of this character so as to enable the quick and easy removal of any tube or tubes thereof without taking down the whole coil or disassembling or disturbing other tubes or parts of the device. This possibility of removing one or more of the tubes with the minimum disassembly or disturbance of the parts of the exchanger is an important consideration, particularly in large plants Where such heat exchangers are run many hours a day and are subject to severe expansion and contraction strains, usually unequal in different parts of the device, due especially to the use of steam in sterilizing the exchangers. These strains often loosen the solder joints for the drip strips or drip rings, and it is very inconvenient and difiicult to make the necessary repairs with the tubes in place in the device, whereastherepairs could be quickly and easily made if the defective tube or tubes could be removed to a work bench. The provision of one extra tube for ICE} a heat exchanger in a large plant will practically insure against trouble or I shut-down, since a defective tube replaced by the extra tube and the tinued in operation while the defective tube is 5 being repaired.

Another object of the invention can be quickly apparatus conis to provide a tubular heat exchanger for liquids having the other features of advantage and improvement hereinafter described and set forth in'the claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, sectional elevation of a tubular surface heat exchanger of one construction embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan showing one of the tubes disconnected from its return shifted out of normal position manner of removing a tube.

connectors and to illustrate the Fig.3 is a transverse, sectional elevation on line 3-3, Fig. 1.

Figs. 4 and5 are fragmentary, longitudinal,

sectional elevations of different, slightly modifie the invention. I longitudinal, sectional constructions embodying Fig. 6 is a fragmentary,

elevationon a larger scale,showing a portion of the tubes and the manner movably mounting the same.

of connecting and re Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, longitudinal sectional elevation showing moved.

one end of a tube partly re- Referringfirst to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 and 6, I ii represents the horizontal heat exchange tubes arranged in a bank one vertically above and tubes being removably mounted i parallel with another, these n this relation, 7

as .presently described, in upright supports or panels ll adjacent opposite end s of the tubes stationarily mounted on and supported by a suitable base l2;

The several horizontal tubes are each otherto form a continuous for the flow of a fluid by suitable headers or opposite ends of the horizontal connected with coil or passage through the several tubes return connectors at the tubes. Means,

heat with the medium circulatin g in the tubes [3 is the usual. bottom trough for catching the liquid that flows overthe tubes.

tubes shown are provided with strips I 4 extending longitudinally toms of the tubes, and the tubes as provided with downwardly c The horizontal" the usual drip along the botare also shown 7 onverging drip such as water, brine or ammonia. flows rings 15 at the opposite ends of the drip strip M to confine the liquid on the outer surfaces of the tubes between these rings and prevent it from travelling or creeping beyond the rings toward the ends of the tubes. Drip rings 96 are also shown on the tubes outwardly beyond the rings 14 and diverging therefrom downwardly, these rings being for the purpose of preventing any condensation on the ends of the tubes outwardly beyond these rings, or any liquid that may leak through the joints between the tubes and their connectors from creeping inwardly on the tubes and contacting with and contaminating the surface liquid being cooled or heated.

The tubes it), see Fig. 1, are removably connected at one end thereof to return connectors H by gland nuts or bushings 18 which surround and are adapted to turn about the tubes and screw into threaded holes in the connectors 111. -At their other ends the tubes are similarly secured in connectors ill by gland nuts orv bushingsZlJ which have threaded ends which screw into the threaded end openings. of the connectors l9. These gland nuts or bushings l8 and 28 pass loosely through holes 2! in the end panels H and are adapted to rest or bear in these holes for supporting the tubes.

The connectors may be of different constructions and different means may be-employed for forming fiuid tight joints between the same and the tubes, depending upon the use to which the exchanger is to be put and the medium which will be used in the coil. For instance, if. the device is to be used for a milk to milk regenerator in which milk flows through the tube for exchange of temperature with milk flowing over their outer surfaces, then the connectors should be constructed so that they can be readily opened for cleaning out and sterilizing the tubes, whereas if a medium,

the tubes, simple connectors not adapted toopen can be employed. The means. for sealing the joints should be of a character suitable for use with the particular medium which flows through the tubes. As shown in Fig. l, the connectors I1 and I9 are in the form of simple return the-connector lOa at the left hand endof the exchanger is suitable" for a milk to milk re-- generator, and is provided with a hinged or movable cap 22;which is releasably secured in closed position by clamping means 22a of known or suitable construction adapting the cap to be opened for cleaning the tubes, and the joints between the tubes and these connectors are prefer ably formed by taper metal rings or gaskets the tubes-adapted to be forced against taper seats in the connector by the screw gland nuts or bushings 20. The connectors H and Na shown at the opposite ends of the tubes in Fig. 6 are of the simple return bend form and the joints between theconnector ll and the two uppermost tubesv are formed by lead gaskets 24 which are clamped between the ends of the tubes and seats in the connector by screwing up the gland nuts l8 which bear at their inner ends against fixed rings 25 on the tubes. This construction is suitable for a direct expansion exchanger in which ammonia is used in the tubes. The other connector Ila shown at the right hand end in this figure is similar to theupper connector but the joints between the same and the tubes may be formed by suitable packing gaskets 26 surrounding the tubes and compressed against taper seats in the connector by the gland nuts or bushings [8.

through between the connectors and the tubes bends. In Fig. 6,

23 onl If it is necessary to remove one of the tubes 0 for any reason, the connectors at the opposite ends of this tube are disconnected therefrom by unscrewing the bushings l8 and 26, leaving the tube freely supported by the bushings at its 0pposite ends in the holes 2| in the end panels. The tube can then be shifted endwise in one direction, for instance, to the left, in the holes 2 i, until the opposite or right hand end of the tube is clear of the hole in the right hand panel. Then this end of the tube can be moved obliquely forwardly 0r rearwardly to clear the right hand panel, as illustrated in Fig. 2, after which the tube can be pulled lengthwise thereof out of the hole in the panel at the opposite end of the exchanger. This tube can be replaced by another tube by a reversal of this procedure and the. new tube secured to the connectors by tightening the gland bushings thereon, thus permitting the use of the exchanger while necessary repairs are being made to the tube which has been removed. The outer drip rings IS on the tubes are. of small enough diameter to pass through the holes 2% in the end panels to permit such shifting,

tubes.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 5 may be the same as the construction above described with the exception that instead of employing gland bushings which extend through the holes in the end panels for supporting the tubes in the holes, the gland nuts 2'5 are made shorter and separate bushings or sleeves 28 are provided on the tubes for supporting the tubes in the holesin the end panels. ing or bearing bushings 23 may be suitably secured on the tubes, as by set screws 26.

In the other modification shown in Fig. 4, the construction. is substantiallythe same as shown in Figs. 1 and 6, first above described, except that the gland bushings 36 are made of larger external diameter and seated in holes of correspondingly larger diameter in the end panels. The external diameter of these bushings and the diameters of the'holes 2! in the'end panels in which'they bear are slightly larger than the diameter of the drip rings l5 and 16 on the tubes, the holes in'the end panels being large enough to permit the drip rings and the drip strip l4 onthe tubes to pass through the holes in the end panels. In this construction, therefore, when the connectors at the opposite ends of a tube have been disconnected therefrom, the tube is adapted to be withdrawn endwise through the holes in the panels, for removing the tube.

In tubular surface heat exchangers of the character hereindescribed, employing tubes of considerable length, it is desirable to provide means to prevent the middle portions of the tubes from sagging and to preserve the parallelismand uniform spacing of the tubes. This may be accomplished, as shown in Figs. and 3, by. providing at the middle portion of the exchanger upright tube bracing or spacing bars 8! which are'releasably clamped against the oppositesides of the tubes so as to hold the tubes rigid by thumb screws or the like 32, which permit the ready removal of the brace bars when it is desired to remove one or more of the tubes. The bars 3! may be formed with segmental circular seats in their inner sides to receive and removal and replacing of the These supportprising separate lengthwise inthe holes, and since the connectors are separate'or disconnected from each other except through the instrumentalityof the tubes,

they can move independently relativelyto one another in theexpansion and contraction of the tubes if the expansion or contraction of different tubes is unequal and thus .prevent destructive strains on, the device. Nevertheless, the tubes are retained in vertical alinement and in the proper spaced relationship.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate parallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, tube supports having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend, a separate connector joining one end of each tube to the corresponding end of an adjacent tube for the passage of a fluid through the tubes, said connectors being arranged outwardly beyond said supports and removably attached to the tubes, and bushings surrounding the tubes in the holes in said supports for supporting the tubes in the holes, one of said tubes when detached from the connectors at its opposite ends being removable through its supporting holes without disturbing the remaining tubes and connectors. I

2. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comparallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, tube supports having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend,'a separate connector joining one end of each tube to the corresponding end of an adjacent tube for the passage of a fluid through the tubes, said connectors being arranged outwardly beyond said supports and removably attached to the tubes by means including end rings on the tubes of an outside diameter small enough to pass through said supporting holes, and bushings surrounding the tubes in said holes for supporting the tubes in the holes, any one of said tubes when detached from the connectors at its opposite ends being removable through its supporting holes.

3. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate parallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, tube supports having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend, a separate connector joining one end of each tube to the corresponding end of an adjacent tube for the passage of a fluid through the tubes, said connectors being arranged outwardly beyond said supports and removably attached to the tubes, and bushings surrounding the tubes in the holes in said supports for supporting the tubes in the holes, said tubes having outwardly projecting drip member thereon between said supports but spaced therefrom sufliciently to permit a tube to be shifted through the hole adjacent one of its ends far enough to withdraw the opposite end of the tube from the other hole, any one of the tubes when detached from the connectors at its opposite ends being removable through its supporting holes.

4. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate parallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, tube supports having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend, and a separate connecter joining one end of each tube to the corresponding end of an adjacent tube for the passage of a fluid through the. tubes, saidconnectors being arranged outwardly beyond said supports and re movably attached tothe tubes by means including gland, nuts surrounding the tubes and each extending intothe' hole in the adjacent support and" forming a bushing for. supporting the tube in said'hole, anyone of the tubes when detached from the connectors at its opposite ends being removable through its supporting holes.

5. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate parallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, tube supports having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend, a separate connector joining one end of each tube to the corresponding endv of an adjacent tube for the passage of a fluid through the tubes, said connectors being arranged outwardly beyond said supports, and gland nuts surrounding said tubes and cooperating with external rings on the tubes for removably attaching the tubes to the connectors, each gland nut extending into the hole in the adjacent support and forming a bushing for supporting the tube in the hole, any one of the tubes when detached from the connectors at its opposite ends being removable with the rings thereon through its supporting holes.

6. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate parallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, tube supports having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend, a separate connector joining one end of each tube to the corresponding end of an adjacent tube for the passage ofa fluid through the tubes, said connectors being arranged outjections thereon through its supporting holes.

7. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate horizontal tubes arranged one above another for the flow of a liquid downwardly over their outer surfaces, stationary upright supports adjacent the opposite ends of the tubes having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the connectors being arranged outwardly beyond said supports, and means removably attaching said connectors to thetubes including gland nuts surand extending into the holes removable through its supporting holes. 8. A tubular heat exchanger for liquids comprising separate parallel tubes arranged for the flow of a liquid over their outer surfaces, stationary tube supports adjacent the opposite end of the tubes and having holes of larger diameter than the tubes through which the opposite ends of the tubes extend, a. hollow connector joining one end of each tube to the corresponding end are withdrawn therefrom and also having exof an adjacent tube for the passage of a fluid ternal projections between said supports and through the tubes, said connectors being arranged spaced therefrom suilflciently to allow either end outwardly beyond said supports and removably of the tubes to be withdrawn inwardly from the 5 attached to the tubes, and bushings surrounding holes in the adjacent support, any of said tubes 6 the tubes in the holes 'insaid' supports for supwhen detached from the connectors at its opporting the tubes in the holes, said bushings beposite ends being removable through its holes ing withdrawable from said holes, and said tubes in said-supports independently of the remaining having external lateral end projections of a size tubes. o w

to pass through said holes when said bushings HARVEY FELDMEIER. 10 

